A Whole New Life
by tinkersm
Summary: After X2, during BB. Did Jean Grey just die and remain at Alkali Lake? Or did the powers within herself send her into another place?
1. New Life

A New Life

A couple no older than mid twenties strolled down a windy dark park. Leaves reselling in the cold October air in the city of Gotham. A young women with blonde hair and icy warm eyes looked up at her newly husband with his dark black hair and brown eyes as he looked at her lovingly with love and admiration. Happily walking down the now empty park the couple were startled when a tiny wailing was heard in then silent night. Running towards the direction of the sound the couple were shocked when a they came across a black bundle of cloth which wiggled and cried into the chilly air. The young man cautiously walked slowly up the bundle as the women stood behind her husband. Bending down the man pulled the cloth down gently. Both couple gasped when they discovered a tuft of small red curls visibly showing in the moonlight . Along with soft smooth pale skin, bright emerald eyes starred back at the couple with tears rolling down chubby cheeks. A small whimpered came out of pout soft pink lips, immediately the blonde picked up the whimpering baby infant no older than a few days old into her warm arms.

"Greg how can people be so cruel," rocking the whimpering infant back and forth," leaving such a small helpless baby out here in the cold."

"I have no idea Meg," putting one gentle finger and stroking the infants soft cold cheek, " We have to take the baby to the police."

"No Greg"

"Megan don't -"

"What if they put the baby in a orphanage? You know how dirty and crowded it is with all those children. We're doing them a favor with taking this one in."

"But Meggy -"

"Didn't you say yourself you wanted to raise children with me and grow old?" interrupting her husband once gain with pleading eyes.

"Yes but we're only newly weds, we don't know anything about raising childrens. Besides, with my busy schedule in the hospital and your teaching courses at the University there wouldn't be time for kids right now.

"But Greg look at her something inside of me is telling me to keep her and I just can't ignore my intuition."

Sighing Greg took a few minutes to stare at his wife, " Ok, ok then we'll take it to Gotham Hospital. I'll call Thomas and see if he could help us with this predicament. Then if we can we'll go to those adoption agencies. They'll still going to take her to the orphanage for the meantime," looking down at his sorrowful wife he quickly changed topics, "but once that's done we'll do what ever it takes to get her. Meggy are you sure you want a baby right now?"

"Greg you know I can't have babies of my own since my accident, how much I want to be a mother so badly but this little one I don't know….. but I feel as if she's calling me to keep her."

"Well she sure is cute for a baby," smiling down with kind eyes and smile," Never seen eyes that color before."

"Oh she's just a beautiful baby girl, such a beautiful …" suddenly Megan got a weird misty look.

"What is it Meggy?"

"I just never mind," coming out from her daze," she looks like a….. Ann…Ana…Anna Je…Jean….. Yes Jean." looking down at the sleeping infant cradled in her arms. "Welcome to the world Anna Jean Grey.


	2. First Signs

First Signs

A bright sunny day, flowers of different kind blooming in the warm breeze, as three children no older than ten and nine ran deep in to the garden. One girl (only ten years of age), a brunette with two braided pigtails and warm brown eyes ran smiling with a mischievous smile as she held hands with a giggling small younger redhead girl (nine years of age)with pigtails as well. Only hers only had two green ribbons tied to her flowing wavy fiery red hair, as bright emerald eyes sparkled with glee and excitement. Both girls ran towards the open door of the glass greenhouse located towards the end of the pathway as they hid from a young boy with brown hair and eyes from sight. The boy had a frown on his face( ten years almost eleven)as he tried to catch up with his two giggling friends.

"Rachael let me see!" cried the young boy as he ran into the greenhouse as well, " Jean come on this isn't funny."

Looking around to all the flower pots, the young boy looked and searched to see if he could spot either a familiar set of red or brown hair, finding either pair would led him to find the two culprits. Slowly with smooth steps and open hearing, he heard a small giggle coming from under a table of yellow daisies. Bending down to eye level., the young brown haired boy found the two culprits, looking directly at both brown and emerald eyes with a scowl on his face the two young girls only smiled innocently at the scowling boy.

"Can I see?" said the boy annoyed and impatient.

"Finders keepers and we found it" replied the brunette girl smiling with amusement as the redhead giggled with mirth and nodding her wavy head.

"In _** my**__ garden"_ already impatient as he looked to the brunette then to the redhead with a glare as she giggled even more .

"Don't be mean Bruce, Rachael and I found it first so its fair that we get to see it first than you. " as the fiery redhead shook her wavy hair from side to side as the boy continued with the glare, only with a softer expression now.

"He's right Jean it is his garden." sighed the young Rachael as she gave in and opened both her hands open for both children to see . In her hand she held an old rusted part of a used and dull arrow head.

Young Bruce looked at it with a awe and with a blink of an eye he snatched it from her hands and ran out the garden, "finders keepers" yelling at both shocked girls as they ran after him. Up ahead he saw the closed up dried well his father always warned him about. One rule in the mansion was to never go near or play around the well, but not thinking twice about it young Bruce climbed into the well were a blocked of wood rested with twigs and leaves and hide from sight as the two girls came out and started looking around for the boy who was no where from sight.

"Bruce?" both girls said as they each gave each other a confused look. He couldn't go far as the garden pathway ended and up head there was only a brick wall. As each girl searched each bush and shrub they heard a snap of splitting wood and the cries of Bruce as he fell deep into the wells mouth.

"Bruce?" cried both girls as they ran towards the dried well and looked inside but since the well was so dark they couldn't see if Bruce was hurt or not.

"Jean you stay here while I go get help." said Rachael to her younger friend who had unshed tears in her emerald eyes. Nodding and with a sniff Jean agreed ," Don't worry Jean just talk with him and see if he responds back." with a gentle calming hug to Jean Rachael ran fast with her little legs up the long narrow steps of the famous Wayne Manor crying , "MOM! MR. ALFED!" along the way.

"Bruce," cried Jean as she tried to stay clam peeking inside of any sound or movement, "Please Bruce if you can hear me please, please say something." Concentrating only at Bruce well being Jean closed her eyes to calm her fright. Suddenly, a small whisper of sound could be heard. Looking around and with open wide eyes Jean didn't see anything or side the dark well. Shacking her head she opened her mouth to call out Bruce name again when again that same cry of a whisper shouted only a little louder. Frighten Jean closed her eyes and concentrated on that little voice. Instantly, she felt as if a some force of object was pulling and tugging her mind with thoughts and emotions. Scared Jean put her hands up her temple and started massaging it as a great explosion of pain and fear trickled into her mind with emotions she knew weren't hers. Scared She didn't know if she heard a cry of help floating into her mind, not knowing if it was her mind hallucinating with the terror she was feeling. Wincing she tried once more to see if her mind was playing tricks and so again with one last tug into her mind she once again found that voice and now knowing who's owner of that voice and feelings were.

"_What's wrong with me,"_ she thought as another pain shot at her temple, "_Is this normal? Why am I hearing Bruce inside my head in am I going cookoo?"_

_" So dark…. am I?….. wait … what's …weird noise?…." _came the thoughts into her head.

Now she knew that was Bruce but why could she hear him inside her head? Wincing and trying to shake her head of the massive headache she was getting Jean suddenly got a huge headache as Bruce emotions got bigger and bigger.

"_Wait….. that?… are those….no no.. get away…..get away… get….. NOOOO…..AAAAAHHHHHHHH…."_

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" cried the wails and hollows of Bruce.

Crying with pain Jean fell down to her knees as so much fear creped into her mind. Tears of pain fell down her rosy cheeks.

_What's wrong with me,_ Jean thought as pain after pain of intense fear and thoughts shot into her head like a speeding bullet. Pulling at her fiery hair Jean let one terrifying scream as her vision turned dark.


	3. Reminiscing The Past

**Chapter 3**

_Tip: ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ meaning Jean speaking to someone telepathically._

Waking up from her deep slumber of warm silky sheets, Jean awakens with a startled gasp. Looking down at her body she realizes that it was only a dream.

_If only it was only just a dream. _she thought as she climbed out of bed and looked at herself from the bathroom mirror.

Curly, shoulder length flaming red hair and bright emerald eyes, smooth flawless pale skin stared back at her. Looking at the tall long-legged slim figure with busted bosoms she felt strange. One minute she was dreaming she was nine once again and learning she wasn't as normal as she thought, the next she was awake and back at her twenty-eight year old body that had power no regular person had.

Once she turned the age of thirteen Jean discovered not only could she read people minds and control their every thought as well as feel their emotions but she could also move objects, if she concentrated hard enough it that particular object as well.

After she awoken from her fainting spell , she isolated herself in her room. She could not only feel Braces emotions that still lingered in her head but hear peoples thoughts by just looking at them from closer or far proximity. She could hear how this affected not only her parents but her two best friends as well. Not knowing what was going inside her mind, she felt alone. She felt like a monster, she also could feel something stirring inside her the moment she had opened her eyes and found herself not laying down next to the abandon well of the Wayne's garden but at her room surrounded with frighten looks from her parents. No one knew what Jean was going through nor she wanted to tell. So she spent hours after hours, day after day, trying to control and maintain her headache of such voices and feelings that kept pouring like a waterfall. Since both Bruce and Jeans parents were childhood friends, Mrs. And Mr. Wayne would visit the Grey's every so often with Bruce trying to convince Jean to open up to ether both of them. They didn't know why or what happen to her to isolate herself from everyone close to her but the outcome always come out with failed results.

Once she was sure she had at least some control of the voices (where they were just a small whisper) and separating her own feelings from others that won't hers, Jean went back to her old happy self. She thought her nightmare was over and she could go on life normal and just had to hide her new discovery (no own suspected a different change in how she interacted with people around her. No one notice how quiet she got how sometimes she would get a deep look in her eyes, or even how she would wince or gasp once in a while and would make an excuse to get out of a room or peoples presence.) well.

On her thirteenth birthday her life changed even more when Bruce took her out to her front porch alone and had present her with the same gift she and Rachael had found back at Wayne's Manor . The very same old rusted arrow head that started all her trouble. With frighten and angry eyes she stared down at it with such an intense look , Jean had only wished the arrowhead could just be out from her sight, when it automatically zoomed out from her hand quick in a blink of an eye and flew ten feet away from her and Bruce. Both teens looked at the small blue paper covered box that held the arrow head. Bruce gave her a awed look while Jean with tears in her eyes ran straight towards her room and locked herself inside the whole night. Inside her room she tried staring at her pink hair brush that was resting on top of her dresser and concentrated hard enough and just like before not only did it picked itself up and floated a few seconds on the air but it ran straight towards a picture stand of her Rachael and Bruce, all huddled together in snow cover gear from Rachael's birthday ski trip last year, the picture itself floated as well.

So once again she locked herself in her room and tried to control another mystery power, trying to float as many objects she can maneuver at one time. While outside, Meg and Greg got worrier by the minute each day.

Luckily, Jean was grateful that Bruce didn't tell anyone about her little accident but after ignoring him at school, not showing up at Wayne Manor for their playtimes and not answering his phone calls, Bruce cornered her at school from viewing eyes and confronted her about the situation. Finally, after many failed excuses Jean told Bruce everything from the beginning since that day in the garden.

* * *

"_**Are you and Rachael still going to be my friend?" asked a thirteen year old Jean, as she fearfully looked at the fourteen year old Bruce who looked at her with an intense look in his brown eyes after explaining him her story, "I have it under control…. Well not a lot ….. but I can manage without feeling sick or getting someone in danger because of my powers."**_

"_**Of course we are," after a few seconds of silence, " Your still the same Jean I know. Nothings going to change that . Your still my Jeannie ….but I think Rachael will be furious if you don't tell her soon. You now how she gets when we don't tell her what's bugging us. I'm surprised she hasn't said anything about it." giving Jean a quick hug.**_

"_**Oh trust me she has." laughing and finally showing a small smile after half a year of living in her loneliness of sorrow, pain and despair. " **_

_**Running hand in hand both teens ran out from their hiding place in search for their brunette friend whom took it well and offered to help Jean in practicing with her. **_

* * *

After many years went by Jean had finally (with Bruce and Rachael's help ) gain controlled of her powers and just in time for her eighteenth birthday, which was around the corner. Rachael being curious, took the liberty in researching Jean's mysterious powers after learning Jean held telepathic and telekinetic abilities and so with many days and hours spend in the school and the public libraries looking over books and the internet, Rachael found her answer in a newspaper stand. After showing Jean the newspaper at Bruce's room all three teens took a grave look in their faces.

Right there in the front cover in black bold letters:

**Mutants **

**The New Danger in Our Society**

* * *

Snapping from her thoughts, Jean started preparing for her day out. After rooming with Rachael in her new apartment a few years back, Jean felt more and more comfortable and accepted her gifts. So to celebrate another one of Rachael's successful cases both women decided to take a night out of fun. After many busy schedules ( with Rachael law firm and Jeans medical careers,) they finally got a day to themselves to relax. After booking up reservations at a nice restaurant that opened at the new Gotham's hotel they couldn't wait to let loose for a least for one night. So this morning Jean decided to shop for a new dress to go for the celebration. Since Rachael planned ahead and got her dress earlier in the week, it was just Jean and Jean alone to find her perfect dress since Rachael had to go to work early for her early morning case in court. With one more look in the mirror she got ready for her dress hunting.

Just as she was walking out the door, Jean spotted a white handkerchief in fine expensive cloth sticking out from one of her dressers. Opening the rarely opened drawer and picking it up, Jean carefully ran her finger gently to the two letter embodiment cloth. Right by the end corner stitched beautifully in cursive silver letters were the words -

B.W.

With teary eyes she remembered when this piece of cloth was given. Remembering that day sometimes gave Jean tears and pain, when the person whom gave it to her wasn't here to see her each day. Remembering the last time she last saw **Him.**

**

* * *

**

_**Flashback, 7 years ago.**_

_Inside the kitchen of Wayne Manor, Jean was occupying her boredom by looking and picking up different glass jars and box crates that held preserved fresh fruits, vegetables and different kinds of spices. As she picked up a red ripe juicy tomato from out of its crate she got startled when a warm strong male voice spoke with amusement. _

"_Alfred still keeps the condense milk on top the shelf." _

_Looking up at the familiar owner of the voice, Jean couldn't help but give a small laugh as she stared into dark warm blissful brown eyes, " Doesn't he notice your tall enough to reach now?"_

"_Old habits die hard I guess," walking closer to Jean, as he put his long coat next to the table._

"_Never used to stop us anyway," smiled Jean as she gave one quick glimpse at the tin can of condense milk and back again setting her eyes on Bruce._

"_No it didn't, So," giving Jean a boyish smile," How're you parents doing?"_

"_They miss this place…..So do I._

"_Yeah." getting a sad look, " Well it's nothing without the people whom made it what it was. Now it's only Alfred." _

"_My parents try to stop every so often and visit Alfred so he wouldn't feel so lonely in this big house ." nodding, giving a weak smile._

"_What about….?" giving Jean a knowing look._

"_Well, I finally got the guts to tell them last week about me being a mutant. They were upset I didn't come to them earlier when I first gotten my telepathic abilities…. or even my telekinetic. Even got upset when I told them Alfred knew about my situation They took it better than I expected . They were shocked at first but after the shocking news they really supported on being their for me knowing the danger of being or associating with a mutant , they were really supported of me and my actions on why I kept it a secret all these years ." giving Bruce one of her knowing looks._

"_Jean I promised you years ago, you being a mutant doesn't affect seeing you different. Your still my best friend. I'm going to there for you no matter what." placing his hand on top of her that was resting on top of the kitchen counter, "You have Rachael, Alfred and now your parents to be there for you."_

"_And you?" getting teary, her vision getting blurry with unshed tears._

"_Always." giving Jean a white clean handkerchief._

"_Thanks, sorry I just get emotional knowing all of you are risking getting hurt… if anyone knew what I am….." wiping her eyes as much as possible_

"_Well that's the deal of friendship, which includes helping your friends in need no matter what." once again that boyish smile Jean knew was back on. _

"_But not risking one's life." returning the tear stained cloth._

"_Hold on to it. Well that's how much my friendship works. " rubbing small comforting circles around Jean's knuckles._

"_So ," clearing her voice and changing topic," Are you here for awhile?"_

"_I'm not staying Jean… I'm just." as Bruce removed his hand away from Jeans, he got a hard cold look in his eyes which quickly faded back to warm and soft look. _

"_You're just back for the hearing." understanding with compassion and sympathy, as Bruce gave Jean a small nod of agreement, his boyish smile and the spark of contentment in his brown eyes fading away each minute. After a moment of silence, " Bruce… I don't suppose there's any way to convince you not come."_

_Turning his head down to look at the floor ," Someone had this… proceeding…. should stand for my parents." voice getting lower and lower._

"_We all loved your parents Bruce, what Chill did is unforgivable." wiping the last tears that had run down her pale skin._

"_Then why is Rachael's boss letting him go?" brown eyes getting angry with rage._

"_From what Rachael told me, the prison he shared with, Carmine Falcone , he learned things and he will testify in exchange for early parole . Bruce I….." voice filled with worry._

"_**Jean**__," looking up to her giving Jean a frustrating and exasperation look, "This man __**killed**__ my parents." voice getting raspier and torment written in both eyes and face. "I can not let that pass and I need __**you **__most of all to understand that, please." begging Jean to understand his turmoil. _

_Seeing the helpless and despair in Bruce anguish eyes, Jean took a moment to clear her mind with the swarms of fury, distress and misery floating inside her mind from Bruce inner mind, " ok." whispering __softly._

_

* * *

_

"_The depression hit working people ,like Mr. Chill hardest of all. His crime was appalling yes but it was motivated not by greed but by desperation." said attorney Wilkinson , as he defended his defendant , Chill, as the court room was silent and full , swarming with journalist and photographers, "and given the fourteen years already served, as well his extraordinarily level of corporation with one of the offices most important investigation, we strongly indorse his petition for early release ." _

_Whispers of agreement and disagreements ran inside Jean's mind but she didn't pay attention to any of it, instead she only took small glances on Bruce from the corner of her eyes as his gaze was directed to Chill who was seated a few feet away from where they sat, up front of the court room._

"_Mr. Chill?" asked the High Court Judge Faden looking over at Chill whom had a guilt look upon his face._

_With remorse coming out from his voice, Chill declared his innocence "Your honor, not a day goes by that I don't wish I could take back what I did. Sure I was desperate like a lot of people back then, but it don't change what I did ." sitting back down in his chair, Jean could feel how much guilt this has been eating up Chill inside. Looking once again to Bruce she saw for the first time since the death of the Wayne's a large ferocity of bitterness hatred of unshed tears visibly showing in Bruce's anguish brown eyes, shooting a hateful glare of outrage of anger to his parents murder._

_~~ Bruce.~~ Jean tried to put as much calmness into Bruce's mind and body as she can._

"_I gather there is a member of the Wayne family here today, has he got anything to say?" declared Judge Faden._

_Every person inside the court room turned their heads towards the direction of the only living member of the Wayne family. Once again whispers were heard around the room as they sat their eyes on Bruce who slowly stood up, keeping his gaze on Chill. Chill on the other hand was the only one not looking at Bruce, as he stared straight ahead but kept his ears open and listening. _

_~~Bruce, don't please.~~~ pleaded Jean, as she felt everything he was feeling as well as what he was planning on doing. ~~~ Don't do anything you'll regret. Yelling and running up to beat him won't settle anything good. You'll be kicked out or worse.~~ looking up at him with worry._

_Still Bruce did nothing but stare but she could see from his face he was listening to her pleas._

_~~Please Bruce.~~_

_Finally, what felt like an eternity but only a minute or two, Bruce slowly gave one hard look at Chill and __a small quick glance at Jean and quietly walked out the double doors._

_After the hearing, Jean went out the court room with Rachael by her side, she couldn't help but feel the injustice on Chill. Getting out freely early after murdering the Wayne's was not something Jean felt Judge Faden should agree upon to but she knew that this was Gotham and in Gotham, if you had power and money, you could get away from any crime. With a heavy heart, Jean took Rachael's arm while Rachael tried to get them through the crowd of people whom were circling Chill, as he was escorted out with police. _

_Suddenly, Jean felt something that wasn't right. The atmosphere just felt cold and chilling. After finding the source she found up ahead Bruce who was walking calmly straight towards with murderous eyes at Chill who had his face down the floor. After scanning a quick scan in his mind, (knowing she could only enter her best friends minds if they gave her permission) Jean the answer. Bruce was caring a small pistol covered by his long trench coat. Stopping in her tracks Jean just looked at Bruce shocked._

_~~~Bruce, No~~~_

_No answer, just calmly walking ahead._

_~~~Bruce I'm begging you.~~~_

_Still no answer or slowing down._

_~~~This is not the solution. Your not a murderer. Don't do what Chill did and become him…. BRUCE! ~~~~_

_Out from nowhere, Jean got another reading from another with a mission of murder, looking into the swarming crowd, a blonde woman in her late twenties wearing a long brown coat and a big white bag walked up to Chill with one purpose, " JOE, JOE! Hey Joe, Falcone says Hi." _

**_BANG!_**

_Were the only sounds Jean heard as they women fired and was automatically taken down while taking the gun from her hands. One mind sweep and Jean felt when the presence of Chill's mind started fading away until their was nothing more but a hollow mind. People scattered like ants screaming and crying as the police arrested and took the now murdering women out the court house. Looking in the dead eyes of Chill Jean tried slowly tried releasing her mind away from Chill's until she was able to hear her own thoughts. With one firm tug Rachael whom was quiet from all this quickly pulled Jean towards Bruce who stood staring down at Chill with a shocking awed look._

_"Come on Bruce," said Rachael not wanting to stay and see the small chaos, she looked at Bruce's still shocked face staring as officers tried giving CPR to Chill who was turning paler each second. "We don't need to see this ." Pulling Jean out from her thoughts (as her head was getting emotions from people around her, making Jean get a painful headache), Rachael put a comforting arm around her._

_"I do." whispered Bruce still staring at the whole scene._

_

* * *

_

_"__The D.A. couldn't understand why Judge Faden insisted on making the hearing in public," said Rachael as she drove Bruce back home for Jean was seated behind as she was in no condition in driving as she was still busy clearing and blocking all the floating voices and emotion that were lingering inside her mind and with Bruce still quiet since the court room but oozing worse intense feelings she at least tried in listening to Rachael's assumptions ."Falcone paid him off to get Chill out in the opened."_

"_Maybe I should be thanking them." finally speaking and smirking at the whole ordeal._

"_You don't mean that." _

"_What if I do Rachael," getting her head clear, Jean looked up shocked after hearing what Bruce was saying but keeping quiet, "My parents deserved justice." delight that Chill was dead and not by his hands._

"_Well your not talking about justice, your talking about revenge." Jean feeling the shame and the hurt in Rachael's voice from hearing one of her best friends talking in such a manner._

"_Well sometimes they're the same."_

"_No they're never the same Bruce," declared Jean, finally having enough on Bruce strange behavior," Nor will it ever be. Justice is about harmony, revenge is about you making yourself feel better." Turing to see the annoyed looked of Bruce who didn't seem to accept revenge wasn't the answer to every problem._

"_That is why we have an impartial system." said Rachael._

"_Oh your system is broken." announced Bruce with boredom and disinterested in his voice not wanting to continuing the conversation. Bruce just looked away and stared out the window._

_Suddenly in quick seconds screeching tires could be heard as Rachael made a huge turn almost making a car collide into them and heading straight towards an empty parking lot and heading in a dark cold empty tunnel._

"_You care about justice, look behind your own pain Bruce," looking at Bruce trying to make him understand the environment of how some people live in "This city is rotting, they even talk about the depression if it was history and it's not. "_

"_Things are worse than ever down here." spoke Jean looking how Bruce was looking at pedestrians and their living condition, " Falcone flood our streets with crime and drugs."_

"_Even praying on the desperate criminals and on mutants whom are shun upon just because they aren't normal like them creating them in new Joe Chills every day. You know, Falcone may have not killed your parents Bruce. He's destroying everything they stood for" now seeing a reaction on Bruce. Looking down at his hands Jean felt the guilt he was feeling on how these people had to go though each day._

_Stopping near a small private building with a couple of men standing near the entrance. Rachael turned off the car turning and giving Jean a quick mental message to not say a word, she looked at Bruce with anger._

"_You want to thank him for that? Here you go." looking and nodding to the place to Bruce who had a deep dark look. He gave one look at both women, looked down to the floor then turned his head towards where Falcone was located . Just knowing that just a few feet way was a man who send someone to killed the man Bruce was planning in shooting, "We all know were to find him but as long as he keeps the bad people rich and the good people scared, no one will touch him. Good people like your parents will stand against injustice. There gone. what chance does Gotham have when the good people have nothing."_

"_I'm not one of your good people Rachael." whispered Bruce softly._

"_What do you mean?" questioned Jean giving Rachael a mental message to not to do anything harsh._

"_All these years I wanted to kill him…. Now I can." pulling the gun Jean knew he had a showed it to both women. As Jean tried to calmly tell Bruce that killing him was not the way to solve his problem, Rachael on the other hand looked to the loaded gun up towards Bruce with a shocked hurtful look. As he looked at her with eyes full of so many painful emotion. With a look of pure rage that Jean never saw before in Rachael, she slapped Bruce so hard across the cheek that she left two red hand prints on his cold pale cheek. With disgust and revulsion in her voice," Your father would be ashamed of you."_

_~~Rachael !~~~ screamed Jean, not too quietly at Rachael's mind giving her a displeasure look, as Bruce stared her with hurt and shattered eyes. Looking at Rachael's loathing and disappointed look and at Jean's alarm and remorseful one, Bruce unlocked his side of the door and got out closing and leaving behind one ashamed tearful women the other shocked and sadden one behind._

"_Rachael, how could you say something like that." climbing up to the empty passenger seat and looking at Rachael was had tears streaming down her eyes and looking out her window," That's the most hurtful thing you could ever say to Bruce, knowing how much he feels responsible about his fathers death. _

"_It was the truth Jean, Mr. Wayne would not have want Bruce to become a criminal murderer. I needed to make him understand he's not the only one living in pain." wiping the tears away and starting the car._

"_Wait Rach, we can't leave him behind. He could get killed. I felt how he was feeling when you said those mean things to him. We have to go back." looking behind the now disserted building. "Rachael?"_

"_No Jean."_

"_but-"_

"_I said no!" glaring at Jean, "Now We're going back home and tomorrow we'll go see him and by then he'll stop blaming himself of his parents death."_

"_But Rachael-"_

"_Jean please." begging her, "We can't always be there for him, especially if he doesn't listen nor want our help. We must let him be alone for a change. Maybe then he'll change and be the Bruce he once was." with once last glance to the fading building Jean took a deep long sigh not knowing that was to be __the last time she would see or hear from him._

_

* * *

_

**End of flashback**

Shacking her head from painful memories, Jean folded and stuffed the cloth back into her dresser. Collecting her purse and other necessities, Jean checked her dresser mirror for one last touch up, looking at her flaming red hair pulled up in a simple ponytail with a few wisp of hair sticking out from the sides. Then down at her red pencil skirt, long black silk button down blouse with her black open toe heels, she gave a small nod of approval and headed out the door and as she walked out the door, Jean didn't look back at the unused dresser that held the old worn handkerchief left behind by one close dear friend, not giving it a second thought.


End file.
